


Misunderstanding

by SociallyAwkwardFox



Series: Marvel Trumps Hate 2018 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5+1 Things, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-06 05:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21221684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyAwkwardFox/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: Five times Tony tired to get Bucky and Steve together and the one time he realized he had it wrong.





	Misunderstanding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [myowneviltwin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myowneviltwin/gifts).

> Fic done for the Marvel Trumps Hate 2018 Auction! Thanks so much myowneviltwin for participating! Hope you enjoy what I've written for you!

**1.**

Laughter filled the common room as he stepped out of the elevator to the shared floor of the tower after a long day at the office. His feet screamed with every step he took, and his back ached from bending over to inspect projects all afternoon, but he wanted nothing more than to join whatever craziness Natasha cooked up for them. As he stepped around the corner, an outrageous sight greeted him that he hadn't been expecting. All the furniture seemed to have mysteriously vanish, only to be replaced by a Twister mat, oversized bowling pins, a giant Connect Four and a Jenga tower he wouldn't be able to reach the top of without a boost.

“What do you think?” A familiar weight leaned casually against his side without causing him to tip over. “I tried to get a giant obstacle course, but it wouldn't fit in the space. Why do we have that stupid rule again?”

“Because skydiving is not an acceptable game night activity.”

“At least let me use the gym next time.”

“The last thing I want to do when I come home from the office is spend time in the gym getting destroyed at an obstacle course by a bunch of assassins, super soldiers and ex-military. I'm going to go ahead and veto that amendment to the rule.”

“Think of all the benefits you would gain from doing it.”

Despite the potential backlash, he playfully poked Natasha's nose with his finger. “That doesn't work on me. What does work on me is what you have setup right now. This is going to be a fun night. Do the star-spangled duo even know what any of these games are?”

“Maybe, but you don't need to worry about that right now. We're supposed to get started in ten minutes and you're still wearing your work clothes. Go get changed, and don't be late. You know I hate it when people aren't on time.”

“I would never disappoint you like that.”

“Of course, you wouldn't, but it's always nice to have a reminder of what will and won't be tolerated.”

“You do a pretty good job of setting clear expectations.”

“Go change.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

After giving a quick salute, he hurried back to the elevator for the quick ride up to his floor. The instant the doors opened, he kicked his shoes off to the side of the entry way with a pleased groan. Some of the tension in his back released when he slung his suit jacket off allowing him to the relax for the first time all day. Rather than walk across the wood tile floors, he let his socks act as skates that let him slide to his bedroom. Little thought went into exchanging his suit for a ratty shirt and a pair of worn workout pants as he rushed to get back to the shared floor.

Several voices greeted him upon returning just in time to avoid a lecture about being on time for team gatherings. Without a word, he slipped into the room to find the two super soldiers listening intently to Peter explaining Twister. He and Natasha shared the same look they always did when Peter went into a bumbling explanation that the two tried their best to follow. Undoubtedly, they would have to fill in the gaps and sort out any confusion over the rules when they played.

“If we don't get started now, we're going to be up well past midnight.”

“How long do you expect all this to take?”

“You think I plan on only using the standard rules for these? There's a reason I rented huge versions of these games.”

“I don't know whether to be confused or intrigued.”

“As always, a little bit of both is the correct answer.”

“One day,” He pointed a finger at her to emphasize his point. “every other word out of your mouth wouldn't terrify me.”

“That's very unlikely.”

“It's one of my goals. Let's not assume I'll never accomplish it just yet.”

“Fine, but I'm not going to make it easy on you.”

“That's the last thing I would ever expect you to do.”

“Good. Now, who's up at Twister first?”

After rolling his eyes, he glanced over to the two super soldiers standing closely together next to the mat. While he hadn't discussed it with either of them, he got the feeling the two of them were closer than the best friends everyone made them out to be. Whenever something happened-no matter how substantial or inconsequential-they always looked to the other for support. If one of them went down in battle or had a difficult day, the other dropped whatever they were doing to check on them. Either they were keeping it a secret or didn't realize their feelings were more than friends, not that the reason mattered to him. He decided several days ago that he'd do something to get them together.

“How about the two old-timers show us how it's done?”

Bucky gave him an amused smirk as he stepped up to the mat with his arms crossed over his broad chest. “I don't think we can show you how it's done when we've never played before, but I'm up to the challenge of taking on someone experienced.”

“That doesn't sound nearly as fun as watching the two of you make fools out of yourselves.”

“You think you'll be able to beat me?”

“Considering how much experience I have, I know it'll be a piece of cake to beat either of you.”

“If that's the case, there's no reason to say no to a challenge.”

“I'd still rather see you face off against Steve, but I don't back down from a challenge.”

“Then you go first. Show me how it's done.”

Despite his plan not working, he confidently walked over to stand next to the Bucky and waited for Natasha to grab the spinner. The game started off simple enough without any risk of them tangling together, until he needed to reach under Bucky's body to reach a dot. A few more round went by before their legs started to tangle, and Bucky was forced to twist over backwards to avoid falling. On the next turn, he started to unwind his leg through the mess, only for a brush of hair tickling his skin to cause him to lose his balance. He fought with gravity for a moment to no avail. His body slammed into the ground bringing Bucky down on top of him.

With a groan, he rubbed his head and tried his best to breath despite the weight on his chest. “Get off. You're crushing me.”

“Not until you admit I won.”

“Only because you need to put your hair up or get a haircut.”

“That sounds like a pretty thin excuse to me.”

“If that's the case, put it up and we'll go again.”

Even though he didn't admit defeat, Bucky rolled to his feet and offered out a hand that easily pulled him to his feet. “We can do that later. I want to try one of the other ones. What are we supposed to do with the block tower?”

“You take out pieces from the lower parts, then put it on top. If you knock over the tower, you lose.”

“That sounds like fun. Let's do that next.”

“How about you do that with Steve, and I'll help you cheat?”

“How are you going to do that when you can't reach the top?” A glare earned him an apologetic smile from the man. “Sorry. No more short joke tonight. I promise. How do you plan on cheating?”

“I'm an engineer. I'll give him shitty advice on what blocks to pull and give you good advice. Obviously, you still need a steady hand, but I can only do so much of the work for you.”

“How do I know you're not going to give me the shitty advice as revenge for beating you at Twister?”

“Because you agreed to a rematch after you play the other games.”

“In that case, you have a deal.”

After giving Bucky a quick wink, he went to pull Steve over to the huge Jenga tower. The two picked up on the rules without much trouble, which meant most of their conversation derailed into trash-talk and taunting. Every couple of rounds he threw out a comment to one of them that led to the tower quivering precariously when Bucky pulled a piece integral to the structure of the tower. His eyes flicked over to him with uncertainty, which he answered by sending him a reassuring smile.

“I'm not sure that was a good idea.” Steve poked uncertainly at a few pieces that refused to budge and caused the tower to shift dangerously to the side. “What do you think Tony?”

“You could try that one.”

Despite trying to move the piece as gently as possible, the tower clattered down to the ground in a mess of wooden blocks. He couldn't hold back his laughter as Steve jumped straight back into Bucky to avoid getting hit by them. While he wanted Bucky to catch him, the look of betrayal on Steve's face when he hit the ground where Bucky had been standing a moment before was worth his plan failing. Steve picked up the closest block to throw at Bucky, then held out a hand that Bucky grabbed to pull him back to his feet.

“As fun as that was, I remember why I stopped playing games with you.”

“Oh, yeah. And why's that?”

“You're a cheater." Steve turned to point at him with an accusatory finger that he didn't even try to hide away from. “I should've expected the two of you would team up against me. You're both cheaters.”

“I didn't tell you that you had to listen to what I was saying. That was your own fault.”

“Never again. I'm playing with Natasha, Peter and Clint for the rest of the night. You two can play together.”

Even though he knew he wouldn't see it, Bucky stuck his tongue out at Steve, then looked back at Tony. “Want to play the big grid one?”

“It's called Connect Four, and I have no problem with beating an old man, so sure.”

“As soon as I figure out how to play, I'll wipe the floor with you.”

“We'll see about that.”

* * *

**2.**

As he cleared his throat, Tony adjusted the masquerade mask covering the upper half of his face. While he always preferred being in his workshop to attending galas, this particular one was one that he always found to be enjoyable. Unlike the other galas, the individuals that would benefit from the donations actually got the opportunity to attend and helped decide the theme. He thoroughly enjoyed spending his evening talking to the kids about their interests and getting to know them instead of mingling with the adults.

With a smile, he knelt down to speak with a young girl dressed in a black spider web dress and a silver bat mask. “How are you doing this evening?”

“I got a lot of candy and a stuffed cat! I'm naming her Midnight.” She held a small black cat up to him and hopped excitedly up and down.

“That's a wonderful name. It fits her very well.”

“Thank you.”

“And may I say, you look lovely this evening. Did you make that dress yourself?”

“No, but my mommy did.”

“Well, she did a wonderful job. It goes perfectly with your mask.”

“I picked it out all by myself!”

“You have impeccable taste. Maybe I should hire you as my personal stylist.”

“I'm too young for that.”

“Would you consider it when you get older?”

The little girl tapped a finger thoughtfully against her chin, then went back to clutching the cat tightly against her chest. “I'll think about it.”

“I'll be anxiously awaiting your decision. Have a wonderful rest of your evening.”

“You too!”

Once she disappeared in the crowd, he stood back up to search the room for a familiar face. He nearly jumped when a hand unexpectedly landed on his shoulder, causing the person attached to it to chuckle. When he whipped around, the mask covering their eyes did nothing to stop him from recognizing the familiar man. Despite knowing it would have no effect, he narrowed his eyes in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest.

“That was incredibly rude."

“Aren't scares part of the Halloween spirit?”

“Yes, but this is a masquerade party, not a Halloween party.”

“On Halloween.”

“It doesn't matter what day it's on. Trying to scare people ruins the elegance of the evening.”

Bucky rolled his eyes at him but didn't appear to be annoyed by his words. “You didn't come here for the elegance of the evening. You came here to hang out with people of the same maturity level as you.”

“I'm sure everyone is saying the same thing about you.”

“You don't hear me denying it.”

“The kids are more fun to hang out with than the adults, even though they have plenty of reason to be miserable. Plus, they have a much more interesting way of seeing the world.”

“They certainly do. It makes sense why you connect with them so easily.”

“Because I have the maturity level of a child?”

“Because you look at the world and see all the possibilities. You don't see the limitations and let them stop you. You always figure out a way around whatever's in your way.”

“That's kind of my thing.” A sudden change in music drew their attention to a large space in the middle of the room that was now brightly lit. “It seems like it's time for the dancing portion of the evening. You should find yourself a partner.”

“I'm not really much of a dancer.”

“We both know that's a lie.”

“I'm not really much of a dancer anymore.”

“Is it because no one knows any of those old dance moves? I can think of one person that would, and I'm sure he'd be more than happy to take you for a spin around the dance floor.”

“If you're talking about Steve, I'm surprised you don't know he never did much dancing back then. He wouldn't be able to keep up.”

“He's the only super soldier in this room. If he can't keep up with you, I don't think anyone will be able to.”

When Bucky tipped his head thoughtfully to the side, the mask slid slightly down his face. “Something tells me, there's someone in this room that would know those dances better than Steve would.”

“And who would that be?”

“How much time did you say you spent around Peggy growing up?”

“Enough to piss my father off.”

“When Peggy wasn't busy kicking people's asses, she enjoyed going out to dance. I'm sure she made sure to teach you a thing or two.”

“How do you plan to test that theory? If I did know, I could just pretend to not know what I'm doing, and you would never know.”

“I don't have to test it. Pepper told me.” The slight smile on Bucky's face turned into a shit-eating grin as he leaned closer to him. “Don't worry your secret's safe with me-on one condition.”

“What would that be?"”

“One dance. Nothing fancy, just a little swaying.”

“I thought you weren't much of a dancer.”

“Isn't part of the masquerade thing to dance? I might as well get the whole experience while I'm here, then I’ll never have to go to another one of these.”

“You're an Avenger now. Odds are you're going to have to go to another one.”

“I'm very good at hiding when I want to.”

“True,” He let a smirk slide onto his own face that matched the one Bucky wore. “but I was able to find you. You don't think I can do it again?”

"We'll have to see, but before we get to that: a dance?”

A long pause dragged out the uncertainty as he scanned the room for the familiar blond hair and bulky figure. “Wouldn't you prefer to dance with someone else? There's a lot of people around. I'm sure there's someone that caught your eye.”

“No, I think dancing with you will be fun.”

“Not even Steve? He seems like a much better choice.”

“I spend plenty of time with Stevie. I don't need to dance with him when we finally get out for a night.”

“Fine. One dance, then I'm sneaking into the kids’ section so no one can find me.”

“Deal.”

Bucky held out a hand that he placed his own in, then led him out onto the dance floor filled with various couples and a few kids. They easily fell into a slow sway from side to side like two teens at prom, but he didn't feel nearly as ridiculous. As they spun around in a slow circle, he let his eyes drift to the people around them. He noticed the girl from earlier getting twirled around in a wide circle by Carol that had her feet several inches off the ground.

“Something distracting you?”

“Is something wrong with my dancing? I did have to do extensive training when I was younger because my parents were rich, which obviously means I need to know how to dance properly.”

“No, but your mind seems to be wandering. Care to share?”

After Bucky spun him around, he gave a little shrug in response. “I'm just people watching.”

“Find anything interesting?”

“Other than Carol making a new friend, I can't say that I did.”

They lapsed into comfortable silence until the song drew to an end, then Bucky brought them to a stop. “It was a pleasure to dance with you.”

“You certainly weren't the worst dance partner I've had, but I can't say you're the best. I could give you a few tips, or I'm sure Natasha would be willing to.”

“Or, we could dance for a few more songs.”

“I believe we agreed that I'd get to disappear to the kid zone as soon as we finished one song.”

“Would a few more songs really make much of a difference?”

“If I don't get over there before their bedtime, I'm going to be very disappointed.”

“It's nearly ten. I don't think you have to worry about the remaining kids getting pulled away for bedtime. They're well past that.”

“In that case,” He started to sway once again with Bucky quickly following along. “I suppose we can dance to a few more songs.”

“I'm honored that you would agree to dance with me.”

“You should be. I don't do this for just anyone. Although, I still think Steve would be willing to dance with you and he'd be a much better match. He wouldn't have to crane his neck back to look at you.”

“Are you telling me you're getting a pain in your neck because you're so short you have to look up at me?”

Before Bucky could catch on, he purposely stepped onto his toes as they began to spin around. “If you weren't so freakishly tall, I wouldn't have to look up.”

“I'm not freakishly tall.”

“I don't know who told you that lie, but they were incredibly wrong.”

“I don't think they were. I'm pretty sure you're just short.”

“Agreeing to this was a terrible decision. I could be having fun right now instead of being made fun of.”

“I get it now.” Bucky spun him out, then pulled him back in. “You want to hang out with people your size.”

“How much do you think it would cost to hire an assassin to get rid of you? Do you think Natasha would do it for fun?”

“That seems a bit extreme.”

“You'll find out soon enough whether I think it's a bit extreme.”

A soft laughter rumbled through Bucky's chest. “Would it help if I apologized for making fun of your height?”

“Holding a grudge is a lot more fun.”

“What if I promised to never do it again?”

“My lawyers would be very unhappy with me if I didn't get that in writing. It's always important to have these kinds of agreements documented.”

“I'll sign whatever you want me to as long as I don't have to read it.”

“I promise not to put in there that you're signing your soul away to me.”

“Good because Steve would be pissed if I did.”

“Assuming he ever found out.”

“True. We swear here and now to never tell him, then I sign whatever you want.”

“Agreed.”

* * *

**3.**

The warmth from the cup clutched tightly in his hands felt wonderful compared to the bitter cold biting through his gloves. While he despised the cold, the twinkling fairy lights and festive decorations that covered the city during the holidays made an evening trip to see them worth braving the weather. The random stalls and booths that popped up along the decked-out streets also helped make the terrible chill more bearable. There'd been a few times he came across a gift from a random vendor when taking a walk to view the lights.

“Where did you get that?”

As he took a long sip of his drink, he shifted his gaze to look at the man standing next to him. “It's a secret.”

“Really?”

“No, I got it at the bakery around the corner. They have the best peppermint bark if you're looking for something to enjoy with your drink.”

“I'll have to remember that for later. Do you have any idea what we're doing?”

“That depends on what you want to do. There's a trial of lights, games, a few different exhibits and some pop-up shops.”

“When are the others supposed to get here?”

“No idea.” Tony glanced down at his phone to check for any new messages, then shrugged his shoulders. “I haven't heard anything from them. Peter said he'd get here around seven, but I don't know when everyone else planned on getting here.”

“Steve told me he'd be here around the same time, but I haven't seen him.”

“I'm sure he'll get here soon. The two of you should check out the lights when you get a chance.”

“What do you plan on doing?”

“Peter told me there was an exhibit he wanted to go to, so I plan on joining him for that. Other than that, I'll just walk around and see if anything catches my eye.”

“Maybe we should get started then. I'm sure the others will find us when they get here. I want to see what these lights are all about. Peter talked about them like they're the best thing about the holidays.”

“I don't know about the best thing, but I always enjoy seeing what they come up with each year.”

“It's not always the same.”

“There's always a few changes and some years they completely redo it. It just depends.”

As they strode around a corner, the bright lights from the thousands strung between the buildings and trees greeted them. Some of them flickered between a few different colors along to the beat of a holiday song playing just loud enough to be heard over the crowd of people filling the street. While his eyes took in all the decorations and dazzling colors, his feet carried him through the crowd with Bucky at his side.

“What do you think?”

“It's certainly a lot. How long does it take them to do this?”

“I'm not sure, but they keep it up all month. You could come back if you don't get the chance to do everything you want tonight.”

Bucky chuckled under his breath. “I didn't even know what there would be to do.”

“It can be a bit much the first time you come. There's almost too much to do.”

“Since you're the expert on this, I think I'll follow your lead.”

“I'm happy to give you some pointers.” A small child suddenly came barreling between them with a parent following quickly behind. “First pointer, be ready for that to happen again. There's tons of kids and most of them are full of sugar.”

“I think I could've figured that one out on my own, but thanks for the advice. Anything else?”

“Well, I always like checking out the vendor. You can find some really interesting handcrafted things for sell.”

“Lead the way.”

Instead of continuing to work their way through the crowd, he pulled them off to a side alley that would take them back to the main area. A shiver ran down his spine as a chilly gust blew through the alley, but that only encouraged him to pick up the pace. The blast of warmth from the heaters around the stalls was more than welcomed as he guided Bucky to the crafts section.

“If you see anything that jumps out at you, let me know. I'm more than happy to pick up the tab for you.”

“I can't ask you to do that.”

“You're not asking because I'm offering.”

Bucky rolled his eyes at him but didn't argue. “What type of thing do you normally buy?”

“Whatever I think other people will like. Most of these things are one of a kind, so I purchase them when I have the chance. I bought Pepper something last year, but she didn't appreciate it as much as I thought she would.”

“I get the feeling you bought it because you thought it would be funny and she didn't share the same sense of humor.”

“That doesn't sound like me at all.”

They walked from one end of the stalls to the other without anything catching their eye for more than a brief moment. On their way back along the other side, he came to an abrupt halt at a familiar sight. Before he could stop himself, he found himself standing with the small stuffed animal held in his hands. The blue uniform looked exactly like he remembered-complete with a black domino covering the bear face.

“What do you have there?”

“This,” He held the bear up for Bucky to get a better look at and to hide his chuckle behind the stuffed animal. “is a Bucky Bear. I haven't seen one of these in years. I didn't think anyone even remembered that these used to exist.”

“What is a Bucky Bear?”

“Well, Captain America was a big deal after the war. He was the hero that saved the world. They made a bunch of comics about him and the Howling Commandos when it was over. Eventually, someone decided to make a television series.”

“What does that have to do with the bear?”

“Everyone know that a superhero isn't nearly as interesting without a perky sidekick. Naturally, the one and only Bucky Barnes could be Cap's sidekick. Kids loved Bucky, so they made Bucky Bears.”

“This bear is supposed to be me?”

“Well, an imaginary version of you that was younger than Steve and wasn't one of the war's deadliest snipers.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Bucky took the bear from his hands with a smirk. “We have to get this. Steve is going to be mortified. He's already uncomfortable enough that there are Avenger's action figures. Wait until he hears that they made a television show about him.”

“I bet there's a Cap Bear around here somewhere that we could get. They would make the perfect gift.”

“They made one for him too?”

“Of course, they did. The more stuff available for people to buy the better.”

It only took a little digging to find a matching Cap Bear that sent Bucky into a fit of laughter at the bright colored uniform and shield. When they brought them up to the young women sitting at a table in the back of the stall, she perked up with a smile. As soon as she put together what was happening, her eyes went wide in surprise.

“Just these?”

“Unless you have the Howling Commandos, I think this will do it.”

“Sorry, but I don't. You do get a discount for purchasing the set though.” Once he handed the money, she put the two bears in a festive bag that she handed over with another smile. “Have a great night.”

“You too.”

The instant they stepped out the shop, Bucky dug the two bears out of the bag and laughed once again. “These are ridiculous. I can't wait for Steve to open them.”

“I think all of us are going to enjoy that.” A buzz from his pocket distracted him from the bears as he brought out his phone to read a text from Peter. “Steve and Peter just got out of the exhibit. They said to meet them by the ice skating rink. He told me we were going to go together.”

“I'm sure he'll go back to it with you. He probably saw Steve as soon as he got here and was too excited to wait for you.”

“If I find out anyone else went with them, I'm going to be very disappointed.”

“Why don't the two of you go ice skating together or do some of the games? I know how important father-son bonding is.”

“He is not my son.”

“It's funny how you always say that, and yet you treat him like a son.”

Even though he knew it wouldn't do anything, he nudged Bucky hard in the side. “Don't make me regret buying those for you.”

“I'm not. All I'm doing is standing fact. Plus, there's nothing wrong with treating Peter like a son. I'm sure he appreciates how much you care about him and his aunt appreciates you looking out for him when she can't.”

“Sometimes I think I should build her a suit. She'd make a great superhero.”

“You should probably ask her whether she wants to spend her free time with a bunch of superheroes before you go through the trouble of doing that.”

“I don't know if you've noticed, but creating the suits isn't any issue for me.”

“I still think you should ask her first.” As the ice skating rink came into view, Bucky shoved the bears back into the bag. “There they are. It looks like they've had fun.”

“I can't believe they got their faces painted!”

“I can't believe Steve let someone paint his face. One of us has to get a picture of that and put it on social media. Everyone should get to see this.”

“You distract him, and I'll get the photo.”

* * *

**4.**

With a groan, Tony reached for the phone sitting on his bedside table to stop the ringing that interrupted his sleep. A quick glance at the screen revealed Pepper to be the one that called him, which probably meant something disastrous happened. Before answering the call, he pushed himself up to lean against the headboard.

“Pep?”

“Have you seen the news?”

“No. I was asleep. What's happening now? Another alien invasion? A super villain trying to takeover Manhattan?”

“Nothing like that.”

Despite his best efforts, he didn't manage to stop a yawn from interrupting what he'd been about to say. “Sorry. If it's not life-threatening, then why the call?”

“It's the kind of news that going to blow up, so I need to know how we're going to be handling this story.”

“What have I done this time?”

“Remember that story from a few weeks ago speculating that two Avengers were dating?”

“Yes, I also remember suggesting that Steve and Bucky play it up to the camera to keep the paparazzi from snooping around where they don't belong. The last thing we need is some reporter getting caught up in something they don't understand all for some tabloid drama piece.”

“You won't have to worry about them snooping around trying to figure it out because they think they already know who it is.”

“Really? Who am I dating this time?” He rubbed at his eyes to clear the sleep out of them, then forced himself to stand up. “Let me guess, Natasha and I stood too close together for a second and that means we're a couple.”

“Not quite. Someone got a picture of you and Bucky whispering to each other during your last press conference that looks very convincing with a headline about love blossoming between Avengers.”

“Please tell me you're joking.”

“Not at all. You can check for yourself if you don't believe, but that has to wait. First, I need to know how our team should handle this. If we're not going along with it, then we need a reason to explain why the two of you are so close. People aren't going to believe you were just talking to each other. Everyone's looking too deeply into it now.”

“It's not just my decision to make. I'll need to discuss this with Bucky. How long do you think we have before the media will expects a statement?”

“A couple of hours max. There's already a lot of speculating going on. The longer we take to address this, the wilder it becomes.”

After letting out a heavy sigh, he headed out of his room for the elevator to go to the common area. “I'll talk to Bucky and let you know what we decide in the next hour. If anyone asks for an interview, tell them we're not interested at this time.”

“Of course. I'll start gathering a team to deal with this. I'll also get us a reservation for dinner tonight so we can talk about this in person.”

“Perfect. I'll call you soon.”

As he hung up the call, he leaned his head against the back of the elevator with a loud groan. He could already feel the headache building in the back of his skull, but he didn't let them stop him when the doors slid open. The sound of someone using the communal kitchen drew him there to find Clint leaning against the counter while bacon sizzled away in a pan. When Clint caught sight of him, a smile crossed his face that made him want to immediately turn around.

“Don't start with me. We need to get this handled. You can be annoying about it later. Do you know where Bucky is?”

“Him and Steve went to do their morning workout.”

“Thank you.”

“If you wanted to see him so bad, I'm sure he-”

“Later, Clint.”

Once again, he hopped in the elevator to bring him down to the training room he had outfitted when the Avengers decided to use the tower as their base. The expected sounds of sparring greeted him when he stepped into the room at the end of the hall. Both super soldiers were on the training mats trying to take the other down. A flash of a metal arm flew through the air so quickly he wouldn't have been able to dodge it. Unlike him, Steve dodged out of the way before it could connect.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Bucky.”

The distraction gave Bucky the opening he needed to bring Steve down to the mats with a hit to the back of his knees. Steve immediately flipped back over to glare at Bucky but didn't do anything to stop Bucky from walking away. He gave a wave of thanks to the downed super soldier, then led Bucky out of the room.

“Have you seen any interesting news this morning?”

“I can't say I have. Did something happen that I'm needed for?”

“Not what you're probably thinking.”

After wiping down his brow, Bucky took a seat on one of the chairs in the small cooldown room he led them to for privacy. “What do you mean by that?”

“Do you remember the issue we've been having with the press poking their nose around trying to figure out whether there's a secret couple on the Avengers?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it seems that sone of them have decided that the two of us are the ones dating. It's all over the place this morning. So much so, that Pepper felt the need to call me about it.”

“What are people saying?”

"I don't know exactly.” He crossed his arms over his chest to keep from running them through his hair or down his face in frustration. “I haven't had a chance to look for myself. Pepper needs us to figure out how we want to handle this situation. All I know is they took a picture of us whispering at a press conference and made an argument that our closeness meant we're an item. We can either go with it, deal with the initial questions, then let things die down or we tell the truth and figure out how we’re going to counter without making it sound like we're trying to hide something.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Personally, I'm not in the mood for fighting back against false allegations because people always think they know your business better than you do, but I wouldn't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation. It can be annoying to have people constantly asking about your relationship, especially when you're not actually dating.”

“That sounds like you're speaking from experience.”

“One of the most annoying things about growing up with rich parents is everyone wants to know about your business. When I was at college, there were a few times the paparazzi caught me spending time with someone and they assumed we were dating. Most of the time we didn't bother to tell the truth because we didn't have time to deal with it, but they still annoyed us with questions.”

“I have to admit I still haven't gotten used to people wanting to know about our personal lives all the time. It's very strange.”

Tony shrugged his shoulders in response as his headache gave a sharp throb. “It's all I've ever known, but I understand how it can be off putting, especially for someone that grew up in an age without all the technology we have now. It's easier than ever for people to know what you're doing all the time.”

“I noticed that. The future always interested me. All the possibilities of how technology could change things. Your suits are the kind of thing that would have been a dream come true. Social media I'm still not sure how I feel about.”

“There are good things and bad things about it. This is one of the bad things. There's no good way to handle it. It all depends on what you want to do.”

“If you think going along with it is going to be the easiest thing, then I'm comfortable doing just that. I don't want this to turn into something bigger.”

“Are you sure you want to pretend to be dating me? That comes with a lot of baggage.”

“Maybe so, but we all have a lot of baggage. I don't think fake dating will add any baggage that I can't handle, unless there's something I'm not aware of.”

“We won't have to act any different than we normally do if that's what you're asking.” He shifted in his seat to sit up a little straighter. “We'll need to do an interview with someone to let people know that the rumors are true, then we'll probably get asked a few questions at the next couple of Avenger's press conference and you might get questions from people when you go out. Other than that, everything will stay the same as normal.”

“That sounds better than trying to figure out a way to deny the rumors without getting more people poking into our business. How long do you think it'll take for people to forget about all this?”

“A couple of months? It'll depend on whether something more interesting pops up that catches people's attention. If some big scandal happens or other big news, then it might take less time for everyone's attention to be off us.”

“In that case, I think we just weather the storm for a little while and wait for it all to die down.”

“I'll let Pepper know what we decided. Once the team working on this decides the best way to make the announcement, I'll give you an update so we can get on the same page before anyone asks us any questions.”

Bucky nodded his head in understanding, then rose from his chair and held a hand out to help Tony stand as well. “Is there anything you need me to do to help with this?”

“No. There's a reason we've hired people to handle these situations. All we have to do is play the part and they'll make sure the story is spun the way we want it to.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

* * *

**5.**

The sound of the car door shutting firmly behind him sent a wash of relief through him at the separation between them and all the people on the other side. He quickly pulled away from the curb and onto the streets of New York City. Once they got far enough away for comfort, he settled back into the driver's seat and let his body finally relax. His eyes glanced over to the person sitting in the passenger's seat for the first time since they left the party.

Bucky's previously tidy hairdo had been traded for his normal look of his hair brushing lightly against his shoulders. At some point, he had lost the perfectly fitted suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his undershirt up to the elbows. The tie around his neck hung loosely with the top few buttons on his button-down undone. As he stretched back in his seat, his head tipped to the side to catch Tony looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

“You've been quiet.”

“Tonight didn't exactly go how I expected it to. There's a lot to think about.”

Bucky hummed in understanding. “I don't think any of us expected that to happen, but I don't think it's anything you need to worry about. It wasn't ideal. I'll admit that, but I think we handled it better than most people would have.”

“It'll be all over the news in the next couple of hours, then we'll have to deal with a bunch of questions, and everyone will be talking about us again. If this keeps happening, we're going to get fake engaged and fake married.”

“At least that'll give us an excuse to go on a trip. A fake honeymoon sounds like an amazing idea right about now.”

“If you want to go on a vacation, I don't think anyone would have a problem with that. Just pick somewhere to go and I'd be more than happy to send you there. You definitely deserve a vacation after everything that's happened to you, and don't say you went on vacation after you got away from Hydra. Being on the run is not the same thing as going on a vacation.”

“I went to some pretty amazing places.”

“Did you actually get to enjoy your time there or did you spend the entire time hiding away somewhere people wouldn't think to look at you? It doesn't count if it’s the second option. Vacation is about having fun, not hiding out.”

“By your definition, I have not been on a vacation.”

“That's what I thought.” He tapped his finger thoughtfully against the steering wheel. “Tell me somewhere you've always wanted to go, and I'll make it happen. It's the least I could do after everything you've had to put up with because of this dating thing. I told you it'd take a couple months for all of this to blow over and now we're going to be headline news all over again.”

“You don't have to do that. It's not like pretending to date has changed anything. I wasn't exactly going out on the town trying to find the one. The only difference now is people ask questions about how we're doing.”

“Just because you weren't looking for someone doesn't mean you shouldn't have the option to do it if you wanted to.”

“Honestly, a relationship is not a priority for me. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready for a relationship. With everything that’s happened, it's hard to imagine dragging someone else into everything I've been through. It's also hard to... trust people. I've met so many nice people, but I'm always worried that they might be connected to Hydra.”

“That's understandable. I'd be concerned if you weren't worried that people you didn't know were Hydra agents. You know better than anyone how well Hydra can hide who they are. I'm worried about that and I haven't had nearly as much interaction with them as you or Steve.”

“I guess all of us are a little paranoid after everything we've seen and read about.”

“It's hard not to be.”

A heavy silence filled the car that started to build the tension in his muscles once more, but he did his best to remain outwardly calm. He focused his attention on driving to stop himself from looking over to Bucky and giving himself away. The silence broke when Bucky cleared his throat with the obvious intent of starting up a conversation once more.

“I know it might be an uncomfortable subject, but your relationship with Pepper... I've heard about how you became Iron Man and I imagine you know a little bit about how I feel with relationships and everything.”

Abruptly, he pulled over to the nearest curb, then turned his attention fully onto Bucky. “How much do you know about that? I'm assuming more than what ended up in the news.”

“Some people on the team have told me a little bit more than that. They haven't gone into detail about it.”

“I'm sure you know the major points. After a demonstration for the military, our vehicles got attacked and the Ten Rings ended up taking me. Shrapnel from a bomb that went off nearly killed me, but another prisoner of theirs was able to stop it from killing me. They were supposed to kill me, but they decided that getting me to build bombs for them would be better. I refused at first and you could imagine how that went.”

“Terrorist groups don't like to be told no.”

“No, they don't. When I saw all the Stark Industries weapons they had, I knew that I had to do something to stop them. The other prisoner and I pretended to build their bomb for them, but we were really creating the first version of the Iron Man suit to get out of there and blow up their supplies. When the day finally came to leave, he gave his life to make sure I got out. After I came back, I got rid of the weapons division of SI and focused on things that would actually help people.”

“But there's more to it.”

“There always is. Obie wasn't exactly happy with me after I announced we would no longer be making weapons, but I didn't know that it was because he was the one selling them to terrorists or that he was the reason they took me in the first place. I thought I could trust him. He was more of a father to me than my own ever was. After my parents died, he helped me run the company and checked in on me. I was wrong about him.”

“I'm sorry. That's terrible.”

“It's nothing compared to what you've been through, but it left its mark. I've never been good at trusting people and that only made it harder. That's why I try to keep the people I do trust safe.”

“What happened to you and Pepper?”

“I...” Tony shifted uncomfortably in his seat but refused to not meet Bucky's searching eyes. “After I went through the wormhole, things got really bad for a while. What I saw on the other side of it haunted me. I couldn't sleep without having nightmares and I buried myself in my work to try to distract myself from all the horrible things I kept imagining. It put a strain on my relationship with Pepper. We tried to make it work, but it didn't. We were much better off as friends.”

“You don't have to answer, but what did you see?”

“An army. A force that could easily wipe us out. We're not even close to prepared for it and that's what terrifies me.”

“That would worry me too.”

“You're one of the only ones that thinks that way.”

“I find that hard to believe.” After a moment of hesitation, Bucky placed a comforting hand on his forearm. “Thank you for telling me about that. I know it might not seem like it, but it helped to hear that.”

“I'm not the best at talking and sharing my feelings, but I know it can be helpful. If you ever need to talk to someone, I can lend an ear. Pepper would probably tell you I'm not the best at listening.”

“You're good at listening when you want to.”

“That's what I always tell her, and she says that doesn't count for her because that means I never listen to the stuff she needs me to do for her to keep the company running properly, which is ridiculous.”

“I've seen you scrambling to do paperwork you've procrastinated on. I think she's onto something.”

“Nobody asked for your opinion on the matter.”

A laugh came from Bucky that helped ease some of the tension that had still been filling the car. “I apologize for giving my opinion. I'll be sure to keep it to myself next time.”

“Good. Before we get back to the tower where we'll get teased for the new development in our imaginary relationship, can I give you a piece of advice?”

“Go ahead.”

“Relationships work best when the two people involved have a lot in common. It might be that you don't have to look for a relationship because the person that would understand you and fit with you the best is closer than you think. Someone that you can talk to about things that you wouldn't trust with other people.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Now,” He pulled the car away from the curb and gunned it down the street. “how about we put off going to tower? I don't know about you, but I could use some greasy food.”

“That sounds amazing. I could go for a burger.”

“A burger it is.”

* * *

**+1**

After he finished wrapping the bandages around his waist, he dropped into a chair with a loud groan of pain. Every inch of his body felt like it'd been bruised and battered to the point that even sitting still ached. During the battle the adrenaline had kept him from feeling the worst of his injuries, but now there was nothing to distract him from it. The bumps from getting slammed around throbbed painfully with every breath he took.

A sharp knock at his workshop door drew his attention to the footage from the camera just outside the door. “J.A.R.V.I.S. can you open the door? I'd do it but I-”

“I'd advise against that, sir. According to my scans, you should be in the medical bay right now getting treated for the injuries you sustained.”

“I'll do that later.”

“That's what you always say.”

“I can do without the sass.”

“Of course, sir. I'll just open the door for you and leave you to handle things on your own.”

The door to the workshop slid open to reveal the super soldier waiting patiently on the other side. He crossed the workshop to take a seat on one of the empty chairs across from Tony, then looked him over for a few moments. When he finally looked away, his eyes immediately caught sight of the open medical kit sitting on a nearby table.

“Did you take proper care of that?”

“As well as I could.”

“You know that we have trained medical professionals that could do it properly for you.”

“I'm aware.”

“Then why did you come to your workshop to treat yourself, when they could have done it for you?”

“I feel like I just had this conversation.”

Bucky rolled his eyes as he dragged his chair over to Tony and pulled the medical supplies where he could easily access them. After pulling on a pair of gloves, he carefully unraveled the bandages around Tony's waist. He did his best to hold in his hisses of pain every time Bucky pressed the cloth against his wound to clean it. When he finally finished cleaning it, he began to wrap the wound once more with the bandages.

“You should go to the medical bay to see if this needs stitches.”

“I think I'll be fine.”

“Pepper will be furious with me if I let you work without going to get that checked.” After shutting the medical kit, Bucky turned his full attention to him. “Other than that, how are you feeling? It looked like you took a lot of heavy hits from that thing.”

“Everything hurts, but I've been worse.”

“Did you consider that if you weren't going to medical, that getting some rest somewhere more comfortable might be a good idea for that?”

“I need to do something that will take my mind off what just happened. There's a lot we need to put together after that and if I don't distract myself, I'm going to drive myself crazy trying to understand it. I know Natasha is working on getting us intel, but that's not going to stop my mind from trying to piece it together.”

“I get that, but I don't think hurting yourself is the answer.”

“What would you suggest?”

“The first thing I would suggest is taking a warm shower to help with the aching, but I know you're not going to want to do that.”

“True.”

“In that case, I think we should figure out what we want to have for dinner because I am very hungry right now. While we wait for the food, we should figure out a movie to watch. I know you've been making a list of movies that I need to watch.”

“It ridiculous that you still haven't seen Star Wars. You've been living here how long?”

A fond smile appeared on Bucky's face. "Long enough to know that you think I should have seen all of them by now."

“You should have seen them all. I'm surprised that Peter hasn't at least showed you the new ones.”

“Well, we can figure out whether we'll be watching Star Wars tonight after we order food, then we'll find a good spot to setup. I would suggest somewhere with plenty of cushions to relax on.”

“I guess we can start with dinner and go from there.”

“Good.”

After a lighthearted argument over what they wanted to eat, they had J.A.R.V.I.S. put in their order while they argued over what to watch. To Bucky's amusement, Tony pulled up the list of movies he had slowly been compiling over the last couple of months. When they finally settled on one of the movies to watch, Bucky helped him to his feet so they could relocate to Tony's floor. The super soldier let him lean against him in the elevator and as they moved to the living room.

“Need anything else to get comfortable?”

“I should be asking you that question. I'm the one that lives here.”

“I've been up here enough to know where I'm going and where most things are.”

“Fair enough.” With a groan, Tony shifted into a more comfortable position to watch Bucky move around his living quarter like he owned the place. “Do you have any idea what the others are doing right now?”

“I saw Peter's aunt pick him up. Clint went with Nick to wait for Natasha to finish her mission. Bruce and Thor went out to go get food. Steve told me he planned on spending the night in. I'm not sure about any of the others. Rhodes told me he had to head back to the base, but he'd try to drop by in the next couple of days.”

“You didn't want to hang out with Steve?”

“I spend enough time with Steve as it is. Plus, I wanted to make sure that you were doing okay after that fight. You disappeared without a word and the last time I saw you your armor looked pretty beat up, which isn't something I'm used to seeing.”

“That's why upgrading the suit is an ongoing process. Something always comes along that finds some way to mess it up again.”

Bucky handed over a glass of water, then took a seat next to him on the couch. “I noticed that. I also noticed that you upgrade my armor and weapons.”

“It's kind of what I do. I see something that could be improved, and I improve it.”

“Well, I certainly appreciate it. The padding you added to my forearms came in handy today. I think those dog things would have been able to dig in and use their grip to do some serious damage if I didn't have the padding.”

“That's good to know. You'll have to let me know if you notice anything else that would help.”

“I'll be sure to do that. For now, I think my armor is perfectly functional and you don't need to worry about upgrading it. When you get back in the workshop, you should focus on getting yourself a new suit. Maybe you should add padding in that one. It might help with the bruising.”

“I've tried to pad it, but it's difficult to do that without making a mess of everything else. I have been working on something interesting that might help.”

“What would that be?”

“Are you sure you want to hear me rant about that? I think I nearly bored Pepper to tears when I was talking to her last week.”

“I might not understand everything you're talking about, but I definitely want to hear what you have planned.” Before either of them could say anything else, a knock on the door had Bucky on his feet before they could knock a second time. “Let's distribute this food, then you can tell me about this new suit.”

Even though Tony sat up to help, Bucky did all the work figuring out which boxes were which and separating out the shared food. When he finished, Bucky handed him a container and some plastic utensils. He returned to his own spot with his food and turned his body to face Tony.

“So, what's this new suit that you have in mind?”

“Ever heard of nanotechnology?”

“Enough to have general idea of what you're talking about.”

“I've been working on an arc reactor that houses nanotechnology that would become the Iron Man armor when I need it and allow me to shape the armor if I need to adjust in battle. It would be a lot more flexible than the current designs of the suits.”

“That's incredible. You never cease to amaze me. You come up with all these incredible ideas and figure out a way to make them become a reality. It's part of the reason I enjoy spending time with you. You always keep me on my toes.”

“I didn't think I'd be able to keep a super soldier on their toes without a suit, so I'll definitely take that as a compliment.”

“It is. It's definitely a compliment.” Before Tony could say anything, Bucky set his food on the table and straightened up. Do you remember the conversation we had after the last gala we went to? You gave me a lot to think about and I did, which made me realize something. I like spending time with you for a lot of reasons. One of them being, that I enjoy your company and feel like I can talk to you about things that I don't even tell Steve.”

“Really?”

“Yes, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and ask whether you'd like to go out with me next week? It's been a while since I've had a date, so I can't promise that it'll go well. You might want to take that into consideration.”

Even though he expected to feel surprised by Bucky's words, the shock never hit. “Whether a date would go well or not never stopped me, even when it should have.”

“It sounds there's a story there.”

“I have a lot of stories. Maybe I'll tell you a couple next week on our date.”

“I'll have to think up a few of my own.” The smile on Bucky's face stayed when he leaned forward to pick up his food once more. “So, what movie are we watching?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)).


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